‘Wall of Remembrance’ a tribute to veterans

For the first time all 3,600 Nelsonians who served in the Great War have been recognised in one place.

The ‘Wall of Remembrance’ is a project 20 years in the making after Eileen Thawley and Sid Daughtrey first started manually recording the names of those who had died, by scouring the cemeteries around the region.

The 10-metre banner now features 3670 local names who fought, and the 680 who died, in WW1. It acknowledges with gratitude, the experience and sacrifice of these people.

Peter Milward, who helped with the project, says it was about bring families back together.
Many brothers who died in the Great War had never been on the same cenotaph for a variety of reasons.

“This wall of remembrance was all about service and so for the first time we are showing the 680 who died.”

Peter was in awe of the women who started the project.

“Eileen and Sid started collecting the names of those died by driving around Kohatu, Dovedale and Collingwood and all these places, gathering the names together. And that was all done pre-computer. It’s a huge thing, an absolutely amazing thing to do.”

The council will string the wall across Selwyn Place for the anniversary of the Armistice which takes place on Sunday, November 11.

The celebrations will see “Histrionics” present their new play “Armistice at Compiegne” based on the actual signing of the Armistice in a railway carriage in France 100 years ago.

An art installation created using thousands of flax poppies will be unveiled by artists and the local community.

The event will be held on the first weekend of the popular Upper Trafalgar St closure, where cars are excluded to create expanded outside eating and drinking areas.